Friday, December 11, 2015

A New Jersey high school athletic director, frustrated over a controversial vote separating the state's public and non-public high school programs in football and wrestling, took to email to voice his displeasure at their decision and didn't mince words.

And especially one word.

Bishop Ahr AD Michael Wolfthal sent the scathing e-mail to fellow athletic officials in the Greater Middlesex Conference punctuated by an all caps, four-letter profanity.

In the e-mail, now circulating among Bishop Ahr alumni, Wolfthal writes, “I have been part of this conference since the beginning, having served in many capacities all for naught, (sic) what you showed was a total lack of support and appreciation (sic) this is just not right.”

Wolfthal signs off the e-mail by writing, “TO THOSE WHO DID NOT VOTE TO DEFEAT THE LEGISLATION, GO F**K YOURSELVES.”

Wolfthal, when reached at home by NJ.com, acknowledged writing the e-mail, saying he did so out of “frustration.” He said he regretted the profanity and “maybe the tenor” of the e-mail, “but certainly not the sentiment.”

The vote means Bishop Ahr’s football team will see a significant step up in competition playing exclusively against non-public schools with far more superior programs, and away games will mean more travel than its current schedule of teams.

Wolfthal said he has not been reprimanded by Bishop Ahr officials. Phone messages left Thursday for Bishop Ahr principal, Sister Donna Trukowski, and superintendent Ellen Ayoub were not immediately returned, according to NJ.com.

Monday’s historic vote among the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association membership was the result of a rapidly growing competitive divide between New Jersey's public and non-public schools. It has been a hot button issue in the state for decades. The problem is most prominent in North Jersey, where some public schools have been forced to face non-public, national powerhouse programs such as Don Bosco Prep, Bergen Catholic and St. Peter’s Prep.

Bishop Ahr, a small non-public school in Edison with mostly average athletic teams, competes in the Greater Middlesex Conference against mostly public schools. Even so, the Trojans have gone 20-30 in football the past five seasons.

The proposal to separate in football passed by a vote of 215-128, and the wrestling proposal was approved by a count of 216-121.

“I was extremely disappointed,” Wolfthal said. “I’m frustrated because this puts us in limbo. We are not a North Jersey parochial school. We are a very average athletic program. If we have to play an entire Catholic schedule it would hurt us.”